My Malaysia

Looking for my hostel in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia is not working out. The owner neglected to mention that I was supposed to take a right turn in order to get there. I've asked tons of people if they recognize the address. They all point me in different directions trying to be helpful. I stop at a motorcycle shop where a bunch of guys are fixing up their bikes. They point me in another direction. I make my way toward where they say it is. As I'm walking there one guy shows up on his motorbike and tells me to hop on. I'm so grateful and hop on with my 64 liter backpack and all. I arrive to a small hostel that is tucked in among a bunch of abandoned property and some seriously shanty-like apartments. Oh god. When I go inside it's not so bad. That night I pass out to the sounds of heavy rats thudding, squeaking and scratching in the walls next to my bunk as they bed down for the night. I awake at 2:00am to a swollen eye and a fat lower lip. I've been attacked by mosquitoes and bitten inside my mouth. I guess you get what you pay for, and at $8 per night I can't complain.

The next day I go to the iconic Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers. I shop the day away inside of them and go to the aquarium where I meet a guy from Iran. We go through the aquarium together and spend some time afterward. When we part ways I am walking through the food court when two guys ask me if I want to try a piece of their cake. My knee-jerk reaction is to decline, but it looks so good and I'm feeling social. I sit down with the two of them. They're brothers and both here from Armenia. We have a chat and then all part ways. One of the guys gives me his phone number and says I should call him if I'm bored and want him to show me around one day.

That night when I arrive back at the hostel I'm invited out by Nick. He is the young brother of the owner of the hostel. He is going out to meet his Jamaican friend and an Australian guy. I agree to go out with them and we have a fun night dancing to Reggae music, watching a Malaysian band perform crazy music, and all getting to know one another. The Ozzie guy is a cute blond dentist and the Jamaican guy was born in Jamaica and raised in Ohio. He's here doing business. At the end of the night Nick takes me to a place where they serve Malaysian food from 1am to about 4am. He shows me the ropes and tells me what is good. So far I'm really liking Southeast Asian food.

On my second day in KL (as the locals call it) Nick and I go to the Batu Caves. We climb the 272 stairs to the cave. We pass wild monkeys and bats wiz over our heads. The cave is huge and beautiful. It is owned by the Hindus and they even have a ceremony going on with music and drums echoing through the cave. Nick and I carefully descend the 272 steps and go grab a take away meal at one of his favorite places. It's an empty open restaurant with a tiny food bar that the flies seem to be owning, but we scare them away and serve ourselves some chicken, rice and bamboo. Nick wants to take me to the small waterfall in the mountain. We arrive there as it is starting to drizzle. The area is lush and thick with green trees. We sit down on a covered wooden platform as the rain starts to become a thunder and lightening storm with torrential downpour. It's amazing and the river starts to flow really hard. The Malay people often don't use any kind of chopsticks or forks, so I am forced to use my hands. I watch as nick neatly eats with his incredibly dexterous right hand. He picks his chicken apart with just one hand, and tries to teach me how to gather rice into a ball and put it straight into my mouth without tilting my head back. By the end of this meal I've made an absolute mess and he has a clean surrounding area. He tells me the Jamaican guy is just as messy as I am.

That day I head back to the twin towers for some shopping because we plan to go out with the Jamaican and Australian again. I'm on the monorail and I meet a local 30-year-old Malaysian guy who wants to know where I'm from. The second he learns I'm from California he tells me he was a student in LA and is trying to move back and become a citizen. He asks if he can walk with me to the mall and oblige. That's when he breaks out the proposals. He wants me to marry him into the country. Oh God, I've been down this road before and decided I would never try it. I once had an Australian guy offer to pay to marry me for citizenship. After giving it a good thought I decided I would never do it. Ever. The Malaysian guy follows me through the city trying to convince me I should do it and I tell him that I can promise him I would never change my mind no matter what his offer. I'm being so direct with him. He's a babbling idiot. He won't stop and I haven't said anything for fifteen minutes. I'm just looking for the mall ignoring him and pretty much acting as if I'm alone. He rambles under his breath the entire time throwing out numbers and figures he would be making in California. He asks me for my email address. I refuse to give him my address and tell him I don't want junk mail. This is comical. Finally I reach the mall and he says since he's here he might as well go in with me. I firmly inform him that he will not accompany me on my shopping adventure. I say it's fine for him to be in the mall, but we won't be in the mall together and he has to go a separate way. He has no choice but to give up.

I rush around Top Shop looking for an outfit. When I get back to the hostel I get dolled up to go out with the boys. We make it down to the party street and it's so busy. There's a big nightlife here in Kuala Lumpur. Nick and I meet up with Philip, the Jamaican that the Malay people tend to call Phillips, and James the Australian dentist. We dance the night away and sweat until we're soaked. Nick's friend drives me and Nick back to the hostel. It's been really fun partying with people from around the world. Especially the locals!